Davidson’s mixed feelings over failure to claim all three points

ST JOHNSTONE manager Callum Davidson described a rare point at Parkhead as a bittersweet experience after his on-form side blew the chance to claim all three. The Perth side travelled to Glasgow unbeaten in their last ten games. And they heaped further pressure on under-fire Celtic boss Neil Lennon when substitute Chris Kane slid them ahead with just 10 minutes to play. Without a win in Glasgow’s east end since March 2015, Mohamed Elyounoussi’s looping header failed to stop the visitors extending an unbeaten run stretching back to their last meeting with Celtic on October 4. Admitting he bore mixed feelings over the final outcome, however, Davidson said: ‘To come here and get a point is bittersweet after we go 1-0 up. But I’ll take a point at Parkhead. ‘Celtic have top-class players but for us it was about how we applied ourselves. It was about how we set up, how our application and structure was — and I felt we applied ourselves brilliantly. ‘Our goalkeeper, Zander Clark, made some big saves. But it’s testament to the team that they have played so well and carried out everything we asked of them.’ On a day when Clark was one of several star performers in blue, former Scotland stalwart Davidson reserved special praise for one of his unsung heroes. ‘I don’t like picking players out but I thought Shaun Rooney was excellent, playing in a different position to what he’s used to,’ said Davidson. ‘The good thing about not losing is that you can build the belief. Against Motherwell last week we were 1-0 down and came back to win. ‘This was a tough place to come but we held out and could have snatched a win. ‘We just want to improve after each game and get better. ‘The players understand what they’re doing and hopefully we can turn the draws into wins.’ Struggling to identify any negatives from the game, Davidson had one complaint. ‘It was disappointing to get five players booked. I thought some of them were soft,’ he added.